Auto Dealer Monthly Magazine is the daily operations publication serving the retail automotive industry. This automotive publication serves dealer principals, officers and general managers with the latest best practices.
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in the beginning viewpoints What's Your Most Effective Form of Advertising? Ryan Corey Owner/President Autoline, Inc. Atlantic Beach, FLA In this ever-changing market, we are always thinking of new ways to market to potential customers. This past year we have really focused on our online pres- ence. We have an in-house team that consists of a creative director, a graphic artist and also a videographer. We produce about 60 videos per month which may highlight a specific inventory piece or showcase a specific service that we offer at our dealership. When utilizing our in-house media depart- ment, we can show car shoppers what we do differently at Autoline versus what they would typically expect from a used car dealer. Although we have seen an increase in traffic to our website, our most effective form of marketing is done inside our showroom. We give our customers an experience like nothing they have had before. We turn our customers into friends, and just like any good friendship, we look after each other. Our customers then go tell their families, coworkers and friends about Autoline, and that makes our customers the number-one most effective form of marketing. Marc Fitts Vice President Bill Fitts Auto Sales Little Rock, Ark. Word of mouth! We sell more cars from referrals and repeat customers then we do by advertising on TV, or the Internet. When a customer is happy with their purchase and had a good time during the process, then they are going to spread that to everyone. Now that's cheap advertisement! 10 Yves Belanger Owner/CEO Gibson Truck World Sanford, Fla. At Gibson Truck World, our most effective form of marketing is word of mouth; in fact, our business was built on it. An unbe- lievable 60 percent of our sales result from repeat and referral customers. Having a large selection of high-quality inventory at the lowest price and a fast, easy buying experience is essential, but it's just not enough to earn a customer's business any- more. We not only assure our customers that the safety of their family is our top priority, we honor that promise with our 12-month nationwide bumper-to-bumper warranty, 12 months of free maintenance and our exclusive 15-day return policy. Each customer receives a personal tour of our Disaster Prevention Center, allowing them to encounter firsthand our used truck factory busy at work and all the extra steps we take that really set us apart. Plus, a portion of our proceeds go to rescue dogs, cats and horses out of local quick-kill shelters. We understand the importance of building community trust first and foremost. This philosophy, combined with our integrity and warranty, shows our customers we have nothing to hide. When people trust your business, they come back over and over again, and they bring their friends with them! Stephen Barrett General Manager & Vice President Barrett Motors Rowlett, Texas Our most effective form of marketing is our customers. Word of mouth from our customer base is the most important factor in our business. A single satisfied customer can produce several sales (not to mention that single customer's repeat business). The family and friends of that customer are my primary targets for new business. We go after these customers with referral programs and various contests. But, this type of marketing is also the most difficult because it requires that a dealer be on top of his game in all areas, from the quality of the vehicles to the professionalism of the sales force and collections team. You have to want your customers to sing your praises. If they don't feel that way about you, they won't refer people to you, so just spending money on them won't cut it. You have to provide a level of service in all areas of your business to use word of mouth as your main marketing source. It is a good strategy that works, but can also break you if you cannot live up to your customers' expectations. Cindy Christensen General Manager Herbies Auto Sales Greeley, Colo. We sell about 100 a month in a rural area of 105,000 population. The nearest large town is 30 miles west … We do draw some busi- ness from [nearby] towns. We enjoy a 60 percent repeat/referral business. We have a friends and family reward referral program set up where we pay our customers to bring us more customers. We are still successful buying third-party leads. And we self-pro- mote events like contests and big BBQ bashes via our database. We don't really advertise on radio, TV or in print. So I guess our best marketing is taking care of our customer—word of mouth. What's Your Most Effective Form of Advertising? Go to www.AutoDealerPeople.com and tell us what you think.